At World Pork Expo 2023, Alltech hosted a panel discussion with leading livestock technology experts to discuss the application of technologies across the animal agriculture industry.
Precision farming technology has become a staple in row crop farming in 2023. However, this technology is not as widely adopted in the livestock industry. While autoguidance technology on tractors, pioneered by John Deere, has been successfully implemented across the industry over the past 15 years, ranch farming lacks a similar example of a technology that is universally used.
Mark Hulsebus, Alltech’s director of sales and portfolio, highlights one of the biggest challenges in implementing technology in livestock farming – infrastructure. Livestock producers have access to various digital tools for data collection but often use this data retrospectively rather than making real-time decisions. To fully benefit from digital tools, farms require improved infrastructure that supports their implementation.
Hulsebus emphasizes another challenge faced by the livestock production industry – its diversity. With numerous types of animal agriculture practices, there is no uniformity in industry practices. This lack of standardization makes it difficult to implement the same technologies throughout the sector.
While many companies are developing technologies that can enhance animal agriculture, Hulsebus asserts that these advancements cannot be fully realized until infrastructure improvements are made in rural America.
It is said to be ( these challenges present both opportunities and obstacles for precision livestock farming. The adoption of new technologies can greatly improve efficiency and productivity in animal agriculture but requires investment in infrastructure and consideration for diverse industry practices.
The assumption, while precision farming technology has revolutionized row crop farming, its implementation in livestock farming faces unique challenges related to infrastructure and industry diversity. However, with continued advancements and improvements, the animal agriculture industry has the potential to benefit significantly from precision livestock farming technologies.
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Sources:
– Alltech Panel Discussion at World Pork Expo 2023: (Link)(https://d30hko96l9xirl.cloudfront.net/Iowamediafolder/2023/07/MarkH11688408705-982921967.mp3)
– Mark Hulsebus on Livestock Farming Challenges: (Link)(https://d30hko96l9xirl.cloudfront.net/Iowamediafolder/2023/07/MarkH21688408704-1826299067.mp3)
– Diversity within the Livestock Production Industry: (Link)(https://d30hko96l9xirl.cloudfront.net/Iowamediafolder/2023/07/MarkH31688408703-601971413.mp3)
– Infrastructure Improvements for Precision Livestock Farming: (Link)(https://d30hko96l9xirl.cloudfront.net/Iowamediafolder/2023/07/MarkH41688408701-1855750752.mp3)
– Opportunities and Challenges for Precision Livestock Farming: (Link)(https://d30hko96l9xirl.cloudfront.net/Iowamediafolder/2023/07/MarkH51688408699-1435954808.mp3)
